Doesn’t everyone walk into a veterinary hospital hoping for their own “happily ever after” ending?

I mean who wants to get bad news? Right? Don’t we just want peace of mind for our inquiring parental worries?

The Fluffy version of “take one of these little pills, get some rest, and call me in the morning,” and POOF! everything is all rainbows and unicorns again. (Phew, dodged that one!).

Wouldn’t that all be nice? And, yet it doesn’t always happen. We don’t always start at the finish. Especially in veterinary medicine. Too often we start at the beginning. Is that a problem? Maybe not? Maybe if you have all the time, information and money, in your favor it isn’t? But, maybe everyone who walks into a veterinary clinic doesn’t have all of these?

What happens if you don’t have one, or, two, or maybe any? What then? How do you get your own “happily ever after” without all of the time, money, and options available?

Our job, the whole purpose of Pawbly.com, is to help you get your pet a happy ending every single time. While we cannot be everything to everyone at all times, is to be as much as you need, as often as you need it, and a true friend to your pet at all times.

If the ending is what you are at looking for why don’t we start the hard cases at the end?

How do you do this? It means that in some cases you need to talk about the end before you start. This is most imperative in the cases of limited resources, or minimal time to intervene before worst case scenario unfolds and you are left half between broke and “The End.”

In many cases a diagnosis can be reached rather quickly. Ask about a diagnosis, even a presumptive diagnosis, as soon as the veterinarian finishes the exam on your pet. This is your beginning. The beginning (examination) should cost you about $50 to $100 US at a vets office or ER.

Ask the vet to list the possible diagnoses for your pet in order of most likely to least likely.

Here is where we need to fast forward to the end IF you have a shortage of 1) Money, 2) time, or 3) ability.

If you don’t have the time, money and/or ability I suggest you fast forward to the end.. work backwards, save time and money and approach the case like this;

From the presumptive diagnosis list ask the vet which ones are treatable? Anything that isn’t treatable gets nixed. (Now I realize “treatable is a tough word to swallow or accept, but in some cases this is the reality).

START with MOST LIKELY AND TREATABLE. Then start treating. Asking your vet for a “Happy Ever After” can be a negotiated, compromised plan. If you aren’t sure how to get there ask for help from your vet. Talk about every option. Write them all down. List them out individually with diagnostics needed, itemized invoice for each, and prognosis if this is the underlying cause to your pets condition. Often being able to visualize each disease as a separate list and prognosis helps make decisions for the road to cured less bumpy.

Always start with “I want to give my pet a Happily Ever After.”

Then ask for help getting there within your financial ability. Ask them to minimize steps (if possible) so you have resources for the treatment. A great example is a urinary blockage in a cat, or, an intestinal foreign body in a dog. The diagnosis for each of these often lies simply in an exam and a radiograph (x-ray). From here the treatment options are both surgery. If surgery costs $2,000 and you only have $2,000 just jump to the surgery. Skip the rest of the diagnostics. While it is not always ideal, it may help get your pet their “happily after after!”

Be well everyone.

And please remember, if you need help for your pet we are always available for FREE at Pawbly.com.

For more help on affordable options for your pets care see our other blogs, or the amazing staff of Advisors here at Pawbly. You ask, we answer, your pet wins! always free! You get to win too!

We all know the story.. It’s 2 am and you and your pet are at the ER. The estimate for the care the vet tells you is needed is beyond your ability to pay, and payment for the deposit is required before services are provided. You and your pet, need options.

You are stuck. Your pet is in dire need of help. And, there aren’t other options available until 6 hours from now,,, and you don’t know if your pet can afford to wait 6 more hours.

The options provided to you look something like this;

Option A, “the recommended” plan is $3,000 plus. It’s 2 am and your credit card doesn’t have that much cash on hand, the bank machine will only spit out $200, and you aren’t approved for CareCredit. Who outside of a loan shark has that much cash at 2 am? Option A is not an option.

Option B, “medical management” at a fraction of the cost of Option A, and an explanation that this option sounds dismal and disheartening.

Option C, “do nothing”. If you wanted to do nothing you would be sleeping.

Option D, “euthanize”. The words make you recoil in anger and abhorrence. WHAT??!! Why would anyone consider this an option? Am I leaving my pet to suffer if I cannot come up with $3,000 right now? What are the odds my pet will survive if I do spend $3,000? What if they need anything past the $3,000 I already don’t have?

The self doubt, dismay, defeating, shameful, and bleak reality of 2 am and not knowing what the heck the vet is saying, and what the heck to do, is overwhelming. Life at 2 am in an ER is always overwhelming. That pit of desperation in your stomach is something no one ever forgets.

What do you do if this happens to you?

Here’s what I tell my clients;

If you can afford Option A go with it. You are in good hands and the veterinary staff will do everything they can to help your pet. Go home, sleep, and they will call you in the morning to update you and provide further recommendations.

If you cannot afford Option A speak to them respectfully and directly. They are people who want to help your pet. They may be busy, and tired but they want to help. Sit down with Option A and ask them how to get to the treatment part on a budget? Ask to remove every line item that is not imperative to a successful outcome. What does that mean? It means that you decline everything except the surgery if your dog has a pyometra, or a foreign body obstruction, or a GDV, or a puppy stuck inside the mom. EVERY SINGLE LINE ITEM. You sign every paper they ask you to sign saying that you understand cutting corners worsens your pets prognosis. But dead is dead and Option D is not going to happen until you both walk through every other Option on the list. Also, ask them to omit every diagnostic that does not have a treatable option. Don’t waste time and money looking for a diagnosis that is not curable or treatable IF you are on a budget. Start looking in the areas that have treatable options, or immediate life threatening consequences. Manage the finite resources smartly. Ask the vet to spend time talking. You paid for their time. Stay all night at the ER if you have to to manage the line items one-by-one.

If they will not negotiate ask for in patient hospitalization and basic care until your vet opens, OR,

Ask for the nearest ER that is not a referral practice AND NOT corporately owned. Drive there. Start the process over again.

Get onto Pawbly.com and ask for moral support. We are here for you, even if it is to tell you that we care, we are on your side, and you did the best you could. Don’t ever feel alone, because you are not alone. Compassion is free, and there is compassion here.

Please follow us on our Facebook page. Please join our Pawbly.com team, and please remember how important our pets are to our lives.. for some of us they are our whole life.

Children love dogs and vice versa. Both species are kind, playful and friendly. Many kids will ask their parents for a pet dog at some point and it is natural for them to hesitate. First of all, pets are a big responsibility. They also need training and proper care. Most kids on the other hand like the idea of having a pet but don’t like taking care of them. If you’re a parent that’s still on the fence, there are actually benefits to having pets at home.

For instance, young children who grow up with dogs at home have a lower risk of developing asthma. Kids with pets also spend more time outside and pet owners enjoy fewer visits to the doctor. Here are other reasons why dogs and kids go so well together.

1. Companionship

It can be hard to be a kid especially if you’re an only child. You don’t have a lot of playmates and you’re often alone playing by yourself. Sure, mom and dad are there but they are also busy with work and household chores. A pet on the other hand can give you constant companionship. The best indoor dogs can help your child feel less lonely.

Aside from companionship, pets can also be a source of comfort for children. When they feel stressed, sad or afraid, they can turn to their dogs for comfort. According to “America’s Veterinarian” Dr. Marty Becker, pets such as dogs can help increase production of prolactin and oxytocin; also known as the feel-good hormones. These hormones lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Having a pet dog can also boost production of serotonin and dopamine, hormones that prevent depression.

2. Fresh Air

No matter what the size, your dog will need physical exercise. This means they have to play outside and take regular walks. Spending time outside with pets can help kids avoid obesity. Dogs like spending time outdoors. They want to run, play and socialize with other dogs. Dogs are a good excuse to get kids out of the house to get some exercise and sunshine. You can ask your kids to walk the dog every day so that both of them get exercise.

According to doctors, a 30-minute walk can do wonders to the body. Dog walking will not only keep your child healthy but responsible too. A dog could be the cure for the console-loving son or social media obsessed daughter or the couch-potato husband.

3. Responsibility

Dogs don’t ask much. They need food, water and attention and you get unconditional love in return. However, dogs also need proper care so that they have long enjoyable lives. Entrusting these responsibilities in young children can help them come to terms with more serious responsibilities in life at an early age. If you are able to instill the importance duty to your young children at a young age and make them understand how serious they are, you are instilling a lifelong value that will make them into better adults.

Even something as easy as making sure that the dog has adequate water every day can give your child an early glimpse of obligation and accountability. The responsibility of having a pet can also help them develop higher self-esteem by seeing that their care has a big impact on their pet’s survival.

4. Compassion and Empathy

Compassion and empathy develop connections between people. Kids with pets can learn this because they develop a bond with their dogs. Kids that take care of their pets are more aware not only of their responsibility but also on the impact they have on their pets. For example, not playing with their dog can make them miss each other. Bonds make us mindful about how the other party feels and how we affect their feelings. By making them conscious of how another being could feel because they acted a certain way, they will become more aware of their actions and impact on other people or society.

Aside from this, kids also learn to show kindness not only to dogs but to humans and other animals too. Simple acts of kindness to dogs like letting them rest or giving them a treat for a job well done can translate to bigger actions when they are adults.

5. Happy Kids

Kids that have dogs are not only healthier, they are also happier. Dogs can help lower your stress levels, blood pressure and even blood sugar levels. But aside from this, dogs help us to produce endorphins or “happy hormones”. Studies also show that people who have dogs recover faster after an illness.

Another way dogs make them happy is by being social. Not only is the dog your child’s best friend but it also helps them socialize with other kids. Dogs can attract other kids when your child plays with them outside and as they say, the more the merrier. In other words, dogs can help your child make friends more easily.

There are many studies that show how dog ownership is good for the physical and emotional wellbeing of kids. They can confide all their secrets to their dogs because their pet won’t judge them and will always listen. Some say this is the same as having siblings or friends. However, siblings and friends can talk back and can respond in a hostile manner. Dogs simply listen and know to empathize by instinct.

Dogs can teach children responsibility. They are responsible for the life and health of this majestic creature. The responsibility can be daunting especially for young children but teaching them this value at a young age can help them become stronger and more independent adults. Anybody who has adopted or owned a dog can tell you how wonderful the canine-human relationship is. Dogs can have a big impact on our lives no matter how old we are. They give companionship, comfort and can help to physically heal us. All science aside, dogs are fun, they help us interact with other people and can brighten your kid’s day.

Author Bio:

Anna Smith resides in beautiful Santa Monica, CA, where she works as a Pet Nutrition Expert in a leading retail pet store. She is responsible for nutritional strategies for different breeds and development of new products on the market in compliance with Association of American Feed Control Officials. Anna’s passions are education about proven methods and best practices in the industry and her dog Max, who is always well-fed.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could avoid some of the most common reasons a pet needs to make a trip to the vet? Imagine having a secret insider scoop to figuring out which tips and tricks could allow you to skip the most common reasons your pet might need to see the vet. It is possible. Here are some tips to avoid vet trips.

Magpie

Brush teeth daily. Cost to client, FREE, cost to resolve when they are at stage 4 can range from $800 at my clinic to $2,000 (plus) at a specialists office. Not to mention the damage a diseased mouth does to the heart, kidneys, and overall health.

Eat a good nutritious wholesome food. If your pet is predisposed to obesity, disease, and any other ailment by their breed or genetics then diet is a key element to avoiding the worsening or exacerbating an underlying predisposition or disease process. You are what you eat, and, you get what you pay for. These are inescapable. The expensive prescription diets are, well, of course, expensive, but so is intensive care for a diabetic coma, heart failure, kidney disease, and a multitude of other conditions. It is my firm belief that we make up for poor diversification in breeding by diet and exercise. We will willingly pay $2,000 for a giant round lab puppy, then balk at the joint prescription diet they need daily to preserve their ambulatory function after they blow both knees.

Wren

Get lots of sleep. Dogs and cats have this concept mastered. We have some important lessons to learn from them. Try to go to bed tired, clear headed and exchanging whispers of adoration. Stress does awful insidious unraveling of our core functions. Not to mention obsessive compulsive disorders, incessant chewing, and needful whining, pacing, or nocturnal activity. Free!

Wren

Lots of interesting nose grabbing exercise. What do I mean by this? Let your dog be a dog. Sniff, tug, play, hide, walks that are adventurous AND at their own pace and destination. Let them explore the world. The best exercise is the one that is fun. Stop walking the path everyone before you has forged. Go off leash! Get dirty! Embrace the flavors of the season. Heck, go ahead and roll in it! Free!

Charlie and Jekyl

Ideal body weight and muscle mass. Avoid lots of the diseases and disease processes that obesity predisposes your pet to. Indoor cats need exercise and I warn about poor quality free feeding of dry kibble. Few of us maintain healthy eating habits at the “all you can eat” buffet bar. Try feeding a high quality canned food for breakfast and dinner. For an average indoor cat this is about 3/4 of a 5 oz can twice a day with 1/4 cup of high quality dry kibble as a “scavenger hunt” snack. For dogs I recommend they be fed twice daily a vet recommended food. Again, make it fun, earned, palatable and intentioned. Make it part of your daily morning and evening regimen. Clean the bowl and monitor poor intake as a means of health status. Diabetes, thyroid issues, cancer, joint problems,, gosh the list is long and expensive. Crazy expensive and often debilitating to life threatening, if not, severely life impacting.

Wren

Basic parasite prevention. For my part of the world this includes fleas, ticks, heartworm, and intestinal parasite preventatives. For less than $20 a month you can protect and prevent a flurry of health insults that not only threaten your pets health and safety but also your own. Heartworm treatment costs up to $2500, intestinal parasites can lead to life threatening gi conditions, and more kittens die of fleas than almost anything else. Tragic and completely preventable.

Charleston

Spay and neuter your dog by 1 year old (7 months for cats). For the few poorly bred, hyper inbred, cancer prominent breeds they may benefit from sterilization at 18 months. Most pets were acquired to be companions. Spay and neuter. Avoid unwanted pet over population and behavior issues. Cost of pyometra surgery at an emergency clinic can be > $2500. Pyometra blog.

Chloe and Cooper. Two divine miracles!

Obedience and socialization. What would happen to you if you were not able to care for your pet AND your pet refuses to allow anyone else near it? Obedience is NOT about submission to humans. Rather it is enjoyment with sharing life with them. Be kind, compassionate and teach those around you to enjoy and love life. Not fear it. Too many pets are euthanized due to behavior issues that stem from not being adequately socialized.

Wren

Microchips save lives every single day. If you want the most affordable way to get one see a vaccine clinic, shelter, or rescue. They are obtainable for about $25 in many places. The statistics on finding your pet (cats predominantly) after they are lost is abysmal.

Start a savings plan for the unforeseeable accidents ahead. Wellness plans are not in the consumers best interests. Avoid them. Purchase pet insurance instead. Or, best yet. Put away $40 a month in a pet emergency fund. You will thank yourself later. Average emergency visits for trauma alone are in the thousands of dollars. Accidents happen, be prepared. Many are treatable with the help of an emergency plan and resources in place.

Stop smoking. It is killing everyone in your home. Your feline family first. Smoking shortens everyone’s life. Please quit for your kids, two and four legged. I cannot over emphasize how detrimental this is to pets. Cats most especially. They ingest everything in their environment, smoke, dust, debris, all of it. If you smoke the ash, and microscopic particles are on your clothes, your body, and on every surface in your home. Your cats walk, roll, lie on these surfaces and then groom themselves swallowing the toxic particles and causing internal damage including breathing difficulties and cancer.

Basic hygiene and grooming. This includes petting, brushing/combing/brushing teeth every single day. The most beautiful and luxuriously coated cats are those who are loved, caressed, and kept matt free, flea and tick free and groomed by their family. Your fingers can feel the grit of flea dirt, the hair bunched in the armpits, behind the ears, around the face, and base of tail, etc.. The simple act of petting your pet is the single best indicator of their overall health. Train your hands to be the best instrument a vet has. And, at the same time you are reinforcing the love and trust every pet longs for. A sore spot, a wet spot, a decrease in muscle mass are all vital clues in identifying a problem at its infancy.

Looking for more tips on how to avoid the vet? Or how to care for your pet so that the trips to the vet only provide good health reviews? If you have a pet question about anything pet related you can find FREE answers at Pawbly.com.

No one ever thought that economics would determine life and death? At least in veterinary school this isn’t taught. Veterinary medicine is supposed to be about healing based little ambiguous clues and a mute patient., it isn’t about dollar signs. Problem is that the real world,,, well, the real world is not so. The real world is about emotions, desire, compassion, lack of empathy, the holy dollar, and hidden innuendos that decide fate in shrugs and whispers just out of the veterinarians ear shot. Medicine may be based in science, but it lives in shadows you step lightly through. I believe this as both a veterinarian and a client.

Seems there is this dichotomy between those that can and do and the level of care veterinarians provide. It is the eternal story of the ‘haves’ who thrive and the ‘have not’s’ who struggle to survive in a profit based meets available high quality care.

In veterinary medicine there is no place for the ‘have’s’ and the ‘have-nots’ to meet and assist one another. Why not? (Well, we at Pawbly have no idea?).

Pawbly is created to be this place. The meeting ground for help from all sides regardless of title, status, or location.

Our goal is to provide assistance in the form of educational information, empowerment to find, utilize, or acquire the exact goods and services your pet needs, and to do it with as much transparency and integrity as possible.

It is a lofty goal but it is what your pet deserves and what is too often lacking in the current veterinary and pet care marketplace.

Pawbly is a community. It is open to everyone who loves pets. We are your voice, your concerns and we want to be what helps your pet live a longer and healthier life! Please join us!

Pawbly was built with a singular purpose; to help animals and pets in need.

We are in the unique position of being the touchstone for pet parents and enthusiasts centered at the intersection of need, provision, and perception. Pawbly empowered by pet professionals of every background and ability to deliver meaningful purpose and information to these interactions. Essentially we are an information exchange platform poised as a conduit. We are the meeting place where all sorts of helpful and relevant pet-centered information is swapped between those in need and those with the experience, knowledge and compassion to provide it. Nothing too novel in concept, but in reality we are singular in scope of purpose, method of delivery, and cost to parties involved (we are free after all- who else does that?).

What is the best way to help a pets and pet owners in need? Utilize the passionate, pet-loving masses, and select those with credible reputable experiences, tools, and knowledge who will share it so that pets around the globe can benefit from it. Furthermore, all of the information needed to help nearly every possible situation is already out there scattered across the vast world wide web. Pawbly makes this incredible amount of information easier to assimilate and use by comprehending it, curating it, and delivering it. We know that people love their pets. We know that they will do whatever they can to provide for them. They just need some help in understanding where to look, how to proceed affordably, and what is the best chance for a favorable outcome.

The original concept of providing community-supported assistance through an open exchange network is the birth right of the internet. Pawbly strives to achieve an open, free and accessible network that allows multiple points of contact to insure maximum options of care to a pet in need. Pawbly is different in our ability to provide credible information from a myriad of knowledgeable reputable people all in one place and all for free. The source is crowd-driven and the power remains in that premise.

Ask us anything about your pets! We are here to help. We are determined, destined, and intent on doing.

Love animals? We do TOO! That’s why Pawbly is FREE and that’s why we work so hard to make animal care more accessible, easier to understand, and the best advice possible free for everyone! Please consider becoming a part of our global community to help those pet owners out there in need of good information and advice. Here, at Pawbly, compassion always comes first.

This is the story of Hurley, an eight year old Golden Retriever who decided one day out of the blue to counter surf.

Seems he was feeling a bit left out when his family decided to have corn on the cob and he wasn’t provided any. So, in typical tenacious, determined, crafty dog style, he helped himself by jumping up on the counter and absconding his self-allotted ration of four whole corn on the cobs.

His family had placed them on a dish on the counter and a few minutes later Hurley appeared in the living room “looking guilty.” When they traced his tracks back to the kitchen all of the corn was gone. They knew he had eaten them and so began the clock, and the wait and see, stake out. (We all know the easiest way to find corn is by watching the output for evidence). That was Saturday.

A day later, Sunday, he was not acting his normal happy self.

By Monday he was vomiting.

On Tuesday we got a call and a recant of the whole story. Hurley was quiet and slightly depressed. It was decided to bring him in the next day if he wasn’t any better.

By Wednesday he still wasn’t eating and was still depressed so he came in for an x-ray. The radiograph revealed a full stomach. A normal healthy pet should have an empty stomach about 2-4 hours after eating. An x-ray and/or an ultrasound can be used to look at the stomach or intestinal tract to see if there is any evidence of abnormal contents. When we see “stuff” (stuff in most cases is unidentifiable and indistinguishable unless it is a highly dense or a reflective consistency like bones, or metal), we look for dilatation of the stomach or position of the stomach. We like to take an x-ray or ultrasound on an empty stomach so that stomach contents do not obscure our ability to interpret the picture. Normally we advise about 8 hours of fasting in a normal adult pet. If there is any sign of stuff in the stomach after fasting we are highly suspicious of foreign bodies or incomplete emptying of the stomach. A foreign body can be anything from grass, stones, clothing, material, carpet, toys, nuts, or at Fourth of July time; corn cobs.

Thursday Hurley was still not eating, still slightly depressed and still had evidence of “stuff’ in his stomach. The family decided to not feed him for 12 hours and to give Hurley overnight to see once again if his any of the stomach contents moved over the next 12 hours. He was scheduled for a re-check first thing the next morning.

On Friday morning little had changed and Hurley went in for exploratory surgery.

These are corn cobs that have been in Hurley’s stomach for 5 days. Do you find it concerning that they still look just like they did going in?

Hurley’s story is not an uncommon one. Many times we suspect that there is something that doesn’t belong in the gastrointestinal tract of a pet..but many times we cannot be sure until we go in and take a look for ourselves. This, of course, requires anesthesia and the expense of surgery, often at the tune of about a thousand dollars. But often it is all we have left to do. In the hope of restoring health we have to go in, take a look, and remove whatever we find.

In the case of corn cobs, (I have seen the same with rocks, nuts, clothing, carpet, tampons, etc.) they lodge in the base of the stomach (anatomically it is the pylorus) or the intestines where it acts like a cork.

The stomach and intestines are essentially muscular tubes. They can concentrically contract and push down their length. It is an amazing act of squeezing and pushing, like a snake it can move ingesta (food being broken down) the pipe to its final resting place,,out the other end. Put a cork along that route and without quick relief it will kill you.

Hurley had four broken up corn cobs sitting in his stomach. Corn cobs are so hard that the stomach cannot digest them. So there they sat for Sunday through Friday. Obstructing his ability to digest food and to pass anything down into the intestines.

Thankfully for Hurley the only foreign bodies were in his stomach, so only one incision was needed to remove them. There are times where we have to open multiple places along the g.i. tract. Each time we make a hole (an enterotomy if in the intestines) we enter a greater and greater chance of contamination into the abdominal cavity and each time we risk the chance of dehiscence (opening of a surgical site). Ideally, we make as few openings as is possible. The less we cut, the less there is to heal, and the greater chance of a quick and complete recovery.

Here is Hurley’s final corn cob recovery spoils.

It has been two weeks since Hurley’s surgery. He has made a quick and full recovery..

The Pawbly Pack is all about building bonds between pets and people and enriching the lives of companions around the globe. Many of us live in smaller homes with less area to allow our best friends to roam, chase, and embrace their inner prey drive or curiosity. That’s why when a new product comes along that provides all of these features we jump for joy, wag our tail, and perk our ears. Learn about PlayDate here.

For those of you less inclined to play a video game with your pets. Here are some of our favorite old time INDOOR pet toys and games;

Number 1. Have the vet who is performing the spay on your dog do a physical examination while you are present. Come with a list of questions. Like; What does a typical surgery day look like? When will my dog be done? Who will notify me when she is done? Does she stay overnight? If so, Why? Is there anyone here overnight? (I do not recommend this. Transfer your dog to a 24 hour facility). When can I pick her up? What instructions do I go home with? Can you imagine going in for surgery and never meeting your surgeon, OR, having never met them and they never examined you? That’s plain neglectful.

Number 2. Pre-operative blood work done to check basic organ function. Preferably a CBC and mini panel chemistry to include basic kidney, liver, blood glucose, and proteins. For older dogs a full chemistry, electrolytes and clotting function are considered minimum data base.

Number 3. Your pet should be free of internal and external parasites. Having fleas walk through the surgery site is not maintaining an acceptable sterile field.

Number 4. Every spay should be intubated and maintained on inhalant general anesthesia. The best way to maintain an open airway is to have one. The best way to maintain an acceptable anesthetic plane is to use gas.

Number 5. Intravenous fluids via an indwelling intravenous catheter should be provided for all abdominal or extensive surgeries. Most veterinarians are inducing anesthesia via an iv dose of an anesthetic why not do this via a catheter to insure a smooth delivery and why not provide fluid support to help maintain blood pressure and have immediate access if and when needed? Most vets place a iv catheter for every euthanasia, but we aren’t doing it for a spay? That seems silly.

Number 6. Every spay gets and goes home with analgesics. A 24 hour dose of an NSAID is given pre-operatively and oral doses go home for the next 4 days. These days many NSAID’s are available as a generic. The excuse of managing costs doesn’t hold up for analgesics and quality of care. Your dog will thank you.

Number 7. Suture material. The glue that holds the tissue together and keeps your pet from bleeding internally or opening up their incision. You get what you pay for in this department and no one ever asks what this vital material is. There is still debate in the veterinary field about what is and is not considered acceptable standard of care. For many experienced vets I will not argue that using what works for you is fine, but, the rules of engagement are shifting and clients have the right to know what we use and why we use it. If a surgery fails they also have the right to their pets records and challenge us on our choices.

Number 8. An e-collar or medical pet shirt. In the off chance your dog realizes at 11 pm that something happened to her belly while she took her midday nap you want to have a barrier between the fresh sutures and an inquisitive tongue.

Number 9. Follow Up. Problems, although we do everything to avoid them, happen. Having a vet you can reach out to, ask questions of, and help hold your hand through any obstacle is worth gold. On all discharge items there should be instructions for you in case you need help. Don’t leave with your pet without knowing what to do, or who to call, in case there is an emergency.

Number 10. An advocate for every next step in life. There maybe many to follow that first surgery, your dogs spay, have a good idea of who you trust, what they are about, and what that road might look like. Take a good solid first step. It makes the rest to follow easier.

Spaying your dog will help reduce unwanted litters and pet over population. It also protects your dog from uterine infections (pyometras), reduces the risk of mammary cancer, and prevents heat cycles.

Please talk to your vet about when it is time to spay your dog (typically about 6 months old) and why your pet might benefit from spaying.

And, as always, come visit us anytime at Pawbly.com for free answers to all of you pet related questions.

It not hard to understand why we are so committed to doing what we do when you know where we came from. We are pet loving devoted parents of dogs, cats, goats, sheep, horses, and pigs. We are a veterinarian and a rescue group advocate who see and hear from people searching for help for their pet’s and companions everyday.
With so many people looking for help to provide better care to their own pets Pawbly seemed like the best way to help as many people as possible without any borders or restrictions to encumber the assistance process.
Pawbly is the place that anyone from anywhere can go to to find help. Such a simple thing with such incredible power to reach the far corners of the world, the businesses in your community and the tiny dog bed in your living room. That’s what we are all about, helping pets, and helping other people help pets.

We are devoted to keeping Pawbly free for all to access and utilize as a question and answer based platform. We welcome any animal lover from any and every corner of the globe and we hope that you find love, acceptance, and assistance here. We also hope that you will pass forward your knowledge, experience, and compassion to others without harshness, judgement and exclusion.

We believe that it takes a village to raise a happy healthy companion and we want to be with you every step of the way.

Please join us in building a place that is dedicated to helping those we need most, our pets.

With love, wet noses, warm hearts, and eternal hope for a compassionate planet for all of us,